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The New England Watercolor Society

The New England Watercolor Society (NEWS) is one of the oldest and most prestigious watercolor societies in America.
NEWS was founded in 1885 as the Boston Watercolor Society. Past members include Childe Hassam, John Singer Sargent, and honorary member Andrew Wyeth.
Membership has grown from the thirteen founding members to nearly 200 signature members from every New England state. Please click on any link to learn more about our history, exhibitions, and membership opportunities.

To view galleries of current and past shows, please see Exhibitions in the sidebar menu or click here for a list.

Continuing into October: Watercolor Wednesdays!
PLEIN AIR PAINTING FOR SIGNATURE AND ASSOCIATE MEMBERS

NEWS is offering the opportunity for fellowship painting in the fresh air, and at some welcoming, scenic locations - just "plein" fun, no instruction – sharpen your skills and share your works.

The program will culminate in a Signature & Associate Members Plein Air Exhibit at the
Plymouth Center for the Arts, Plymouth, MA from November 5th to December 10.

Pictured at right: participants and work done at the July 12 event - "It's all Happening at the Zoo." New England Watercolor Society members got free admission to the Franklin Park Zoo, where they had an exotic array of subjects to test their skills on. Scroll down for more on this event.

NEWS Watercolor Wednesdays presents

Plimoth Plantation
Beckons Painters

Sunday October 1st
9:00 AM until 5:00 PM

This historical Massachusetts site offers an inviting walk into an earlier time, a reconstruction of the Pilgrim village of the 1600's.

Besides the period huts and dwellings built by our first settlers, the reenactors living on site are all in authentic costume and speak in the first period vernacular. The sloping site and water views are as spectacular as the village. They will present challenging & dynamic compositions.

The Plantation folks are excited about NEWS being on site and will be promoting our day there. We'll likely attract visitor attention as the town of Plymouth is gearing up for its 400th anniversary.

This will be the last of Watercolor Wednesdays for the season.

Remember that all the Wednesdays works painted at the various locations will be displayed and for sale at the "NEWS Clothesline Show" at the Plymouth Center for the Arts, November 7th - December 10th. Drop off is November 5th.

We look forward to seeing you in Plymouth -
Sunday, October 1st, 9:00 am - 5 pm.
This offering is a rare opportunity for fellowship painting in an historical, scenic location.

Though there was sunny weather, muggy humidity and thunder-cloud rumbles, all the artists had a great experience; not only painting together, but also sharing backgrounds, stories and successes. Within a beautiful landscape, it was an exciting zoo environment, with giraffes, lions, gorillas, cranes, camels and other creatures to elicit the painters’ interest. Rachael Reints, the Zoo Director, welcomed us and enjoyed having artists on site; her helpful staff informed us about the names and details of many animals. These volunteers also took photos of the artists and their works.

On a very busy Park day, many people & lots of kids stopped by to see what we were all doing, asked questions, and enjoyed the production of the art. Many folks mentioned that they had seen the NEWS plein air notice on the Zoo’s web site too. Our event had also been posted by BU’s weekly news source. WBZ radio also aired a report the next morning about the NEWS painters.

Wendy has asked the painters for shots of their works for posting to the NEWS sites, and also to be provided to the venues; so all members can see the results of the day. Watercolor Wednesdays have happened through the initiative and coordination of Wendy and her contact with the directors of the various venues.

The participating members’ sketches and paintings created during this zoo session, and the Newport Art Museum, the Arnold Arboretum, and the upcoming Watercolor Wednesdays will be eligible for display and sale at the Plymouth Art Guild in a Nov/Dec. “clothesline” show.

NEWS looks forward to having some of its NH and southern Maine members joining us for a Watercolor Wednesdays at Strawberry Banke in Portsmouth next month, and in September at Mariginal Way, Ogunquit, ME, and lastly at historic Plimouth Plantation, MA in October for having fun while trying their hand at the plein air experience. So, get on out there with us, and Paint!